Until the End of Forever
by Khgirl08
Summary: This is a little prequel to my story Princess of the Keyblade. It was born to help cure my writer's block, and it worked. It follows the lives of two PotK characters, Danielle and Rebecca, after they are separated. Enjoy! Please read and review!


Khgirl08: Howdy! I think I'm having a wee bit of writer's block when it comes to my posted stories, so I thought making a little one-shot might help me out a little. This fic tells the story of how Danielle, Riku's wife, came to meet the gang from Destiny Islands in the first place, and what happened after she left Maple Brook. Have fun! Read and review, please, and if you haven't read Princess of the Keyblades, you should probably go read it now. You might be slightly confused otherwise. ;)

-Disclaimer: I no own. You know I no own. You no sue, right?-

* * *

The brown-haired teenager sighed as the small planet came into view from the Gummi ship window, squeezing her light brown eyes shut as yet another tear leaked from them. _I know Becca and Eddie said that they were only a star-gaze away, but it feels more like light years. We're just now reaching this dumb place after five hours on this horrible ship. I swear that I will never drive one of these again until I go back home._

"Dan, are you buckled up? You don't want to fall out of your seat during landing, do you?"

"Yes, Mom, I never unbuckled." _Does she think I'm still a little kid? I know how to take care of myself._ "Do we even have a house yet?"

"Of course we do, baby girl. Your dad came a couple days early to finalize things and bring most of the luggage, remember?"

Danielle rolled her eyes. _How could I forget?_ "I guess it just feels wrong to be a resident of these Desire Islands now."

"_Destiny_ Islands. I know what that's like; remember, I had to move to Maple Brook when I was just a little older than you are."

"Mom, you and Dad moved there after you got married, and you were twenty five. That's nearly ten years older than me."

"Well, just enjoy the view as we land in paradise!"

Dan moaned and closed her eyes again. "I already had paradise in Maple Brook," she muttered. Her mother either didn't or pretended not to hear her snide comment and pressed the land button on the Gummi ship. As the small yellow ship descended into the atmosphere Danielle opened her eyes and caught herself nearly admiring the gorgeous blue-green of the ocean. _It looks nothing like the navy waters of Maple Brook… But _that _was the color oceans and seas are supposed to be, not aqua. This is awful…_

Just after the Gummi ship had landed and Dan began to unbuckle, she saw a bright light momentarily obliterate the blue sky and puffy white clouds above her. _I wonder what that was… Oh, well, I guess I'll find out eventually._ "Where are we heading, Mom?"

"As soon as we get our bags I'll show you." Danielle's mother stood up and grabbed two of the three bags that were in the backseat of the Gummi. "Come on, get your duffel."

Danielle grabbed the bag by its strap and grunted with the weight that was placed on her small shoulder. _It was really sweet of Abbie and Becca to temporarily shrink everything I couldn't fit in here normally so I could bring it, but maybe I should have left some of it at home. I hope I get that canoe out before it goes back to normal._ "I've got it, I've got it, now please tell me where our new house is?"

"Follow me." Danielle stepped out of the ship and watched as it shrank to a tiny block of sponge, which her mother placed in a side pocket of her purse. "It isn't too far down this street, if the directions your father sent were right."

_If Dad wrote the directions we'll be wandering the streets for weeks._ Danielle sighed yet again and trudged after her mother, wrinkling her nose at the palm trees that seemed to be sprouting everywhere. "Don't they have real trees here, Mom?"

"Palm trees are real, Dan, but they do have some other trees, as well, or at least they used to. These islands are very tropical, not at all like the beaches on Maple Brook."

"I noticed." The two women walked in silence for five minutes or so before Dan's mom stopped in front of a small yellow house.

"Welcome home, Dan-o."

Dan groaned and put her hand on her forehead. "Why is the house yellow?"

"It was pale green, but the realtor had just finished painting over it when your father contacted him. Isn't it a gorgeous color?"

_Maybe…_ Danielle followed her mom through the front door and stopped dead. Everything was yellow: the carpet, the walls, the ceiling, even the furniture were all varying shades of lemon or dandelion. _…if you like living in a butter dish. I feel nauseous._

"Honey, we're here!" Danielle's mom walked through the living room and into another room. "Oh, there's a note. 'I'm downtown right now, job hunting. Please join me when you get this.' I presume that means me, because you're too young to get a job right now."

"I'm sixteen, Mom. I'm not that young."

"Of course not, Dan. I'm going to take my bags upstairs before I go find your dad. Why don't you take a look around town, too? Or maybe you shouldn't, I don't want you to-"

"Mom! I won't get lost. I just told you, I'm sixteen, almost seventeen, and I don't need you and Dad to hold my hand anymore." Danielle began to stomp upstairs before stopping and turning back to her mother. "Which room is mine?"

"The only one on the left." Danielle nodded her thanks and finished climbing the stairs, stopping at the top and staring into her new room. It was the only room in the house that wasn't yellow; it was varying shades of green, down to the last stripe of her bedspread and curtains. _At least I can come in here without feeling like margarine…_ As she set her duffel on her bed, she heard her mother climb the stairs and set her own bags down before going back down the stairs. As soon as Danielle heard the front door shut she dumped her possessions onto her bed and began putting them on shelves, making sure to leave enough space for them to grow back to their usual size.

Knock, knock. Knock, knock. Just as Danielle put her boat back into the duffel she heard someone at the door. "Just a minute!" When she opened the yellow door, she saw a tall boy about her age looking down at her with aqua-green eyes. "Yes?" _Wow, some eyes…_ The boy's hair was silvery-white and fell below his shoulders, and his arms rippled with muscles. _He's… interesting. I can't wait to tell Becca about him._

"Hi, my name's Riku. My mom and I live next door to you, and she wanted me to drop off some food for you, so here." Riku shoved a basket of food into Danielle's arms and dashed from the porch, leaving Danielle blinking in astonishment.

"How rude!" Danielle shut the door and carried the basket of food to the kitchen. "And I thought I would tell Becca about him. He's such a jerk! I'm going to hate living here in this stupid yellow house on this stupid tropical island with that stupid jerk for a neighbor!" Danielle walked back into the living room and curled up on the new yellow couch, sobbing into her arms.

* * *

A few hours later, Danielle was pushing her boat into the strange-colored water. There was a small island visible in the distance, and she had heard a girl and two boys talking about going out to it the next day. _At least I'll be able to stay away from that Riku character… I can't believe how _rude_ he was. All I did was answer the door, and he acted like I was his worst enemy already._ Dan sighed and stepped into the canoe, which rocked gently in the waves. _It doesn't look too far out there…_

When she finally reached the opposite shore after fifteen or twenty minutes of rowing in silence, however, Danielle had changed her mind. "Whew… I feel like I was rowing that stupid thing for weeks. I hope there's something interesting out here…" After securing her boat on the weathered dock and clambering out, she stretched and yawned. _It's so boring here. There's nothing to do, no one to talk to except that jerk Riku… I can't imagine that he has any friends at all, but if he does I certainly don't want to meet them._

This small island proved to be full of areas to explore. There was a small shack that was similar to the old cave back home, filled with games and chairs, and there was a giant tree with a walkway surrounding it. Danielle had to climb a ladder to reach the walkway, but she was thrilled with the hollowed-out room she found inside the tree. "Wow! Someone must have spent tons of time out here, fixing this island up. It looks almost lived in, it even has a wall behind this tree. I wonder if there's anything on the other side of the island."

Before she could discover if there was anything there or not, three voices reached her ears from the dock.

"I still can't get used to being back out here. I swore that I wouldn't come out here until I remembered you, Sora, but once I finally remembered I couldn't bring myself to come out here without the two of you." The first voice belonged to a girl, and she sounded really excited to be back on the island.

A boy responded to her, equally happily. "I agree. It does feel weird to be here again. I mean, since the king told us about the borders remaining open for another few weeks, we were too busy wandering around saying good-bye to all of our friends to come out here to hang out like we used to do every single day." He sighed in contentment. "I missed home. I missed you, Kairi."

"Aw, I missed you too, Sora."

"Hey, what about me? I missed both of you, not to mention the islands." Danielle inwardly groaned.

_Riku just had to come out here, didn't he?_

"We missed you too, Riku, don't worry." Kairi's voice was filled with mirth as it drifted closer. "Where are we going today, anyhow?"

"How about to the other side? Riku and I haven't gotten to see it since coming home. And then we can go to the secret place for a bit."

"Let's get going, then." Riku sounded a lot happier now that he was with his friends, but Dan didn't want to take the chance of making him mad again by approaching him now. She waited until the voices had drifted away and climbed back down the ladder.

_I should probably get going… Wait, what's this?_ Danielle turned to get a good look at what appeared to be the entrance to a cave of some sort, and she truly smiled for the first time since she had arrived on her new planet. "I have to see what's in there, it might be the closest thing to Maple Brook I'll ever find here." Getting down on her hands and knees she crawled through the entrance, only standing back up when she was sure she had enough room to not hit her head.

The cave was home to some plant life, a completely random wooden door with no handle, and a lot of drawings made by scratching rocks on the walls. There were several works that resembled a game of some sort, a worn out picture of a duck and a dog under the stars in a city, and a picture of a boy and girl throwing stars at each other. Danielle smiled at the childish works of art; it appeared that some of the residents of the Destiny Islands had spent a good amount of time working on these pictures.

"… haven't made any new drawings in such a long time!" Sora's voice floated into the cave, and Danielle gasped as a head full of spiky brown hair peered around one of the rocks. "Oh, hello!"

"Um…"

A girl with dark red hair looked around him. "Oh! Hi! I guess that must be your boat that's tied to the dock, huh? I guess I thought it was Tidus's, Wakka's or Selphie's. My name is Kairi, and this is Sora and Riku. What's your name?"

Danielle gulped as Riku looked over Kairi and rolled his eyes away. "Danielle… I'm new around here. Of course, you already knew that, but I… I'm from Maple Brook, if you've ever heard of that planet. I'm moving back there as soon as I turn eighteen, too."

"Fat chance, Danielle. The barrier has closed again. You aren't leaving this planet for a while." Riku smirked. "Of course, you could always try, but you would just fail over and over and over again."

Dan stumbled backwards and tripped over a tree root that jutted out from the ground. The tears reached her eyes before she even hit the ground. "What? No, no, that can't be right! The barrier is open again, it's still open!"

Kairi glared at Riku and shook her head at Danielle. "No, Danielle. It closed this afternoon, this time probably and hopefully for good. The entire sky flashed white, that's how we know that it is closed."

"It can't be closed, it just _can't_…" Danielle shook her head mournfully as the tears continued to run down her cheeks. "I promised that I would come back, so the barrier has to stay open until I can! No, I don't believe you!"

"I'm sorry." Sora took a few steps forward and knelt beside Danielle. "We all have friends on other worlds, as well."

"Then why do you not want the barrier to reopen?"

"The only reason the barrier would disappear would be if there is any issue with the worlds again, and if that happens it puts everyone in danger." Sora shrugged. "I would much rather not see my friends and keep them safe than see them again because they're in danger from another war."

"But Maple Brook was never affected by a war! Why can't I just go there and there alone?" Danielle stood up and frowned. "I'll never forgive my parents making me come to this stupid planet."

"Oh, Danielle, you just got here, right? You should give us a chance before you decide that you don't like us." Kairi smiled brightly. "We're not that bad."

"You and Sora, maybe, but I already know Riku." To Danielle's surprise both Sora and Kairi turned to glare at their silver-haired friend, who was still glaring reproachfully at Dan.

"It's not my fault your parents brought you here, Danielle. You shouldn't blame me."

"I don't blame you for my parents' mistake, Riku, only for being so mean!"

"You have no idea how mean I can be." The cool calmness in Riku's voice was infuriating; if anything it reminded her of Ryan Mason, the one person on Maple Brook who she could absolutely not stand.

Even thinking of Ryan Mason made her mind go into a tailspin of memories and thoughts: when he elbowed his way past Dan and her friends in the lunch line, only to have Becca's milk dumped all over him; when he would roll his eyes at the friends when he passed them on the street; when he tried to force Eddie to tell him why Becca wasn't in school; when he and that Yaxley character came to the cave… _Was that really only last night?_ Danielle came out of her reverie and marched up to Riku, glaring up at him. "I don't really care, either. You think that just because I moved in next door you have free reign to pick on me? Let me clue you in on something: you don't. You need to leave. Me. Alone. Understand?"

Riku's lip curled as he raised an eyebrow at her. "As you wish." He turned and stalked out of the cave, and Danielle glared after him.

"Sorry about him, Danielle. He's not usually like that." Kairi stared at the hole where her friend had just disappeared, her brow creased in thought. "We're not all like that, though."

"Yeah, we're not!" Sora looked around at all of the cave drawings in awe. "I still say we need to draw a new picture in here."

"Why not let Danielle draw one? She's the only member of our group who hasn't yet."

Danielle blanched at Kairi's words. "I'm in your 'group?' What group?"

"Of friends, of course." Kairi smiled at her again. "Everyone needs friends, Danielle, and you seem to be in dire need of some right now."

Danielle smiled slightly. "Thanks… That means so much to me." She looked at Sora, who was also beaming at her, and her smile grew. "Alright, friends, what do I draw with?"

"Just find a rock that fits in your hand the right way and start scratching away!" Sora picked up a rock and tossed it to her; amazingly, it felt almost like a pencil. "Go on."

Danielle found a large empty space on the wall beside her and began drawing. At first she had no clue what she was sketching, but she realized after a few minutes that it looked like the upper torso and head of a woman. She bit her lip and drew the features and curly hair of her new self-portrait. "There. What do you think?"

"It's perfect! It looks a lot like you, Danielle!" Kairi grinned and picked up a rock that was at her feet. "It just needs a name…"

Danielle stopped her hand after three letters. "Just leave it at that. Dan. That's what everyone back on Maple Brook calls me, and you guys can, too."

Sora clapped his new friend on the back and laughed. "Alright, Dan. Are you going to stay for the sunset? It's almost time!"

Danielle gasped. "It's that late already? Oh, no! I have to get home before my parents get there and start worrying!"

"Oh, okay." The three teenagers walked from the cave and down to the beach. Kairi and Sora stopped as Danielle went towards the dock. "Maybe you can tell us more about Maple Brook tomorrow? And then you can watch the sunset with us!"

Danielle smiled back at them. "It's a date!"

As Dan began rowing back to the main island, she saw three figures sitting on a palm tree that grew sideways from a miniature island. Two of them were waving at her, and the third seemed to be looking away. _That Riku makes me so mad…_

* * *

"Mom! What do you mean, I can't go out to the island?"

Danielle's mother had stopped her at the front door and was shaking her head sternly. "You know exactly what I mean. I don't want you going out there without someone I know, what if those boys try to hurt you?"

"Mom, there's one boy and one girl, and I don't think either of them would have any urges to hurt me. I guess you can count Riku, as well, but I don't really talk to him." Dan was groaning inside; her mother was just being unreasonably controlling. "Weren't you the one who told me to go exploring? That's all I'm doing!"

"Riku, you say? Our lovely neighbors' son?" Danielle's mom had a mysterious sparkle in her eye. "Of course you can go out the island, then, if he's going. He'll look out for you."

_What is she talking about?_ Danielle raised an eyebrow. "What would make you say that?"

"Oh, he told his mother all about you, dear. She came over after you went upstairs and we had a lovely chat about the islands. She graduated school the year after your father and I, so we reminisced until she asked about you. I'm certain that the boy of such a sweet woman wouldn't let anything happen to you. Even so, maybe you still shouldn't go…"

As Danielle rolled her eyes, someone knocked on the door. Dan's mom opened it, and Kairi was standing there, smiling sweetly. "Hello! Is Danielle home?"

"Good morning, Kairi!" Dan smiled at her new friend. "I was just trying to leave, but Mom here is a little worried about me…"

Kairi nodded seriously. "I understand why, too. I mean, I wouldn't want my daughter to have no friends on this entire planet, either." As Dan's mom looked away nervously, Kairi winked at her friend and continued talking sweetly. "You don't need to worry about that, ma'am. I think Danielle and I are already becoming great friends, which is why I invited her out to the island today."

"Oh…"

"Actually, the reason I came was to ask her if she would like to have a sleep-over out there with me and another friend, Selphie. I don't believe they've met, but I'm sure your daughter and Selphie will get along quite well."

"Um…"

Danielle finally spoke up again. "As Kairi said, it would be the two of us and Selphie, another girl, no boys. I wouldn't be in any danger, Mom, and it would be a lot of fun. Please?"

"Oh, fine! You can go, but you had better come back in one piece, understand?" Danielle's mom walked past Danielle and into the kitchen, where she noisily began taking things from the different shelves and replacing them.

"Thanks a lot, Kairi."

"No problem, Dan. Now, let's go get you some clothes and a blanket for tonight." Danielle nodded and climbed the stairs, Kairi on her tail. When they got into her room, Kairi began giggling and sat on the bed. "Wow, your mom is a worry-wart, isn't she? 'What if those boys try to hurt you?'" Kairi began laughing even harder. "I'll try to control Sora for you, Danielle."

Dan was laughing, as well. "You heard all that?"

"Every word. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop or anything, but I did happen to be in the process of knocking on your door when the argument started. I didn't want to interrupt, but it sounded like you needed my help if you were coming to stay the night." Kairi lowered her voice to a whisper. "Don't tell your parents, but the boys are probably going to stay out there with us, at least Sora and Riku. We've been having all-nighters out there since I came here, just making jokes and playing games and looking up at the stars."

Danielle flinched. "Star-gazing? You go star-gazing?"

Kairi nodded. "Yes. We don't try to find the shapes, though; we just talk about what could be out there. Of course, it'll be different now that Sora, Riku and I have all been out there, as have you."

"I used to cloud watch and star-gaze all the time back home… In fact, Eddie, Becca and I did that the night before I left. That was the last time I saw either of them." As the tears began forming in her eyes she pulled a pair of capris and a tee-shirt from her closet and folded them into a small bag. _I wonder how they are…_

* * *

Rebecca Swallow was lying on her bed, staring at the shadows that played through her window. Although her mother had tried to keep the information from her, Becca knew exactly what that bright flash of light in the sky had been. She knew that, although she would still be able to travel from world to world via Apparation until peace had been completely restored in The World of Magic, Gummi ships would no longer work for inter-planetary travel. And it was only a matter of time before even Apparation would no longer work.

It didn't help any that Eddie had blatantly refused to talk to her since Danielle's departure. He all but slammed the door in her face when she went to visit him yesterday and didn't answer her phone calls. She even went back to his house to make sure he was alright or ask where he was, but she was met by a very confused mother who really had no idea what she was talking about, as Eddie had been home all day but was feeling a little ill.

"Rebecca?" Abigail walked into the room and sat down on her daughter's bed. "You came up here after breakfast and haven't made a single noise since. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm not sick, if that's what you mean." Becca turned to look at her mother. "Mother, do you think I could just stay with Uncle Albus at Hogwarts over Christmas this year?"

"Becca! Why would you want to do that?"

"You and Dad would be able to come, probably, and you two are the only people on Maple Brook who care enough about me to want to see me."

"That isn't true, Rebecca. What about Edward?"

"He doesn't want to see me anymore. He spent all day yesterday evading me."

Abbie sighed. "That's terrible of him."

Becca nodded. "I'm going to go out to the cave for a bit, alright?"

Abbie smiled. "Of course, dear."

As Becca went through the woods behind her house, she let a few tears slide down her face. However much she didn't want to admit it, she was in pain. Danielle and Edward had always been there for her, and suddenly it seemed like both of them were gone, one on a Gummi ship and one in his own world.

"Do you think you can hold this for the trip back?"

"Of course, Eddie. I'm not a weakling."

Becca jogged through the last bit of the woods and stopped dead at the sight of the cave. "Eddie? What's going on here?"

Edward Anderson turned around with a sharp intake of his breath. "Erm… This is awkward…"

"Oh, Rebecca! I didn't realize you still lived around here, I never see you anymore." Marianne Smith, a pretty girl with blue eyes and brown hair, was holding a large box in her arms. There was another one laying by Eddie's feet.

"What are you doing?" Becca took a couple steps toward the pair and realized that the box in Marianne's arms was filled with her belongings. "Where are you taking my stuff?!"

"To your house. This box is mine." Eddie smiled half-heartedly. "Marianne and I were hanging out last night and I asked her to help me move everything out of here today."

"You're moving _my_ things out? Without asking me?"

"We'll never be down here again, Rebecca, so I figured I was doing you a favor."

Becca stared at him, grinding her jaw. _What is he talking about?!_ "What are you trying to say, Eddie?"

"Don't call me that anymore, Rebecca. My name is Edward." Edward stood up a little taller. "This cave has been our secret hideout for years, the place where we and Danielle would hang out all day, everyday, and no one ever found us but our parents and those two jerks a few nights ago. When Danielle left, I realized that we could never come down here without thinking about her, and I don't want to do that and I'm sure that you don't, either."

"Ed_ward_, you are either the biggest jerk or the stupidest boy I have ever met, and I have never considered you stupid." Becca was barely holding the tears back. "She is still our friend, and I can't believe that you would rather forget her and move on with your life! The three of us were best friends!"

"Not anymore, Rebecca. We've outgrown playing around in this cave like little children, and we've outgrown our friendship." Edward put his arm around Marianne. "I've moved on, and you should too."

"Rebecca, you can still hang out here if you want to. I'll leave this box here…" Marianne set the box down and leaned into Edward's embrace. "Eddie and I will leave you alone if you like."

"I thought his name was Edward." Rebecca was speaking to Marianne, but her green gaze was fixated on Edward's blue one. "Marianne, do you mind giving me a little privacy with your boyfriend for a moment?"

"Not at all, Rebecca. I'll be right over here."

_Eavesdropping, I'm sure._ As soon as Marianne had gotten a good distance away, Becca took another step towards Eddie. "I don't care that you have a girlfriend now, Eddie, and I honestly don't mind that you are clearing out the cave. I understand how much it must hurt you to be down here."

"Then why are you so mad at me?"

"I'm mad because you've been lying to me and making me out like a fool. Two nights ago you were still friendly enough with me to take my wand and play with it, you were still friendly enough to go for one last Neopolitan milkshake with Dan and me, and you were still friendly enough to hug me and Dan goodnight without feeling awkward. Then you suddenly don't want anything to do with me, you ignore my calls, you tell your mom to say you're sick when you're just hanging out with Marianne, and I'm just supposed to take it in stride?!"

"Yeah, because you know what? You have other friends, you have a whole other world to make new friends in, and you don't need me! You never did!" Edward shouted the last sentence so loudly that a flock of seagulls that had landed on the nearby shore took flight in alarm.

"Edward, that's not true." Rebecca shook her head. "I do need you. You are one of my best friends, and nothing could ever change that, even if I do have other friends. I will always need you."

"Rebecca Swallow, the only reason you've pretended to be my friend and Danielle's friend all this time was because we know about The World of Magic and you didn't want us to tell anybody your little secret." Edward was whispering, but he sounded even meaner than he had while he was screaming.

"That is not true! How could you even say something like that?!"

"Rebecca, you know what? I'm tired of you. That's it. I'm tired of being friends with a stupid little girl like you, and I'm tired of having to hang out with a witch all of the time. I'm out of here." Edward picked up his box of belongings and brushed past his former friend, who turned to watch him leave with his new date. When they were nearly out of sight, however, someone else came along and stopped them in their tracks. "Who are you?"

"Don't you remember me, dummy?" Rebecca picked up her box and sprinted towards the group; when Yaxley got involved in a conversation things never came out well. "I'm looking for your little friend Becca."

"Rebecca Swallow is no friend of mine." Edward's voice was frosty, and Becca almost began crying. Almost. "Marianne, why don't you go on ahead and I'll catch up?"

"Sure…" Marianne, who was staring at Yaxley in fright, practically flew away.

"Yaxley, leave them out of this. He's right; I am no friend of his." Becca stole a glance at Edward as she threw her box down. "I thought about what you said a couple of nights ago, and I agree with you: Muggles are filthy creatures, especially this one."

Edward snarled, but Yaxley's eyes glowed. "So, I take it you've had a change of heart about me, then?"

"No. Edward may be scum, Cyrith, but he looks spotless in comparison to you."

It was Yaxley's turn to snarl. "You think you can talk like that to me and get away with it, do you? Becca, baby, don't you realize that the more you try to turn me down the more in love with you I fall?"

"That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard."

"No, no, I think you two would make a great couple, Rebecca. A disgusting wizard and a backstabbing witch. Perfect!"

Rebecca rounded on him, barely resisting the urge to smack him across the face. "_I'm_ the backstabber?! Excuse me, Mr. Anderson, but you were the one who up and decided that you didn't want to be friends with me anymore for absolutely no reason! I think that would make _you_ the backstabber!"

Yaxley grabbed her hand and pulled her around, encasing her in his arms. He may not have been the brightest or best wizard, but he was plenty strong. "Don't pay any attention to that Muggle, Becca. You and I don't need him." Ignoring her cries of protest he proceeded to trace his nose up her jaw line until he reached her ear, which he bit slightly, causing her to scream in fury and kick him.

"Yaxley! Let her go." A pair of strong arms forced the two apart, and Becca turned to see Ryan Mason glaring at the greasy-haired newcomer. "You know, I thought you were kind of cool when I first met you, but I just changed my mind. That's disgusting, you should never do something like that to a lady."

"Stay out of this, Mason! I don't remember asking for your help!" Becca stooped to get her box and glared at Edward resentfully. "I changed my mind, Edward. I don't need you, not anymore. I don't need anybody. I wish I could just be alone." She stalked off into the woods, ignoring the tears that dripped down her cheeks when he didn't respond.

* * *

"So those stars were paopu fruits? And those two kids were you two?" Danielle smiled. "That's absolutely adorable." The curly-haired teenager had spent the entire day wandering the island with Sora and Kairi as they told her the stories of their many adventures, and they were now waiting for Riku to show up. Selphie, Tidus and Wakka, however much they had wanted to stay, all had to be somewhere with their family in the morning, so they couldn't. "You two are dating now, right?"

"Yup, of course we are!" Sora put his arms around Kairi and hugged her, and she smiled up at him serenely.

Dan looked away, not wanting to intrude on their obviously personal moment, and saw a boat traveling towards the dock. "Riku's here."

Sora and Kairi broke their interlocked gaze and looked over at the dock, where Riku was throwing a rope around one of the posts. "Good, he made it in time for the sunset!" Kairi ran down the beach to greet him and Sora followed her, easily catching up to her. Danielle held back, not wanting to make him angry. He had taken one look at her as she followed Kairi up the beach in the morning and walked to his own boat, calling out that he would be back later. Dan was convinced that he disliked her to the maximum, and she didn't want to annoy him anymore than she could avoid.

When the three friends returned, Kairi turned to Sora and whispered something in his ear. Sora looked at Dan and nodded, and Kairi turned to Riku with a grin plastered on her face. "Hey, Riku, I think I lost my lucky charm on the other side of the island. Will you come help me look for it?"

"Um… sure…" Riku raised his eyebrows but followed his friend through the door to the other side of the island, leaving Sora and Danielle alone.

"What was that about?"

Sora smiled. "Kairi's always been the best at getting people to talk about their problems, and we're both wondering what's wrong with Riku. He's been acting weird ever since the border closed, not wanting to talk on the phone or take late night walks or even hang out on the island all day like we always used to."

"I know exactly what's the matter with him. He doesn't like me." Danielle sat on the ledge nearest to her, staring out over the sea. "It started yesterday, right after I started unpacking. He brought over a basket of food from his mom and basically shoved it into my arms and ran. I don't know what I did to make him so mad at me, but I obviously did something."

"No, Dan, you didn't. I doubt Riku has anything against you, he just has some other problems."

"Sora, Dan, we found it! Come on, let's go watch the sunset!" Kairi and Riku were already walking across the bridge to the islet, and Danielle and Sora headed to the shack to follow them.

Thirty minutes later, the sun was nothing but a tiny speck on the horizon and Danielle was spellbound. The water had turned from the purest of aquas to the darkest of navies, and the sky was still painted orange, pink and lavender with streaks of white cloud running through it. "That was amazing…"

"So, Dan, do you still think this island and everyone on it are stupid?" Sora grinned teasingly.

"How could I ever? You're the Keybearer who saved all of the worlds, Riku helped you a ton, and Kairi is a Princess of Heart, not to mention the fact that you've been so nice to me." Dan grinned back. "I think I might learn to like it here."

Riku snorted, and Danielle glared down at him. "What's so funny? Or do you have something in your nose?"

Rather than responding, Riku merely stretched and removed his yellow shirt and shoes before diving into the water, still wearing his jeans. "Anybody up for a swim?"

"I'm game!" Sora tore off his own black, red and yellow shirt and yellow shoes and followed suit, splashing water up at the girls when they hesitated. "Come on! Kairi, I know you have a bathing suit on under that dress!"

Kairi rolled her eyes and took off her pink mini-dress, revealing a relatively modest two-piece suit. "Here goes…"

Danielle backed away from the edge, shaking her head. "I'm not much of a swimmer…"

"Come on, Dan! You have to come in, the water's great!"

Sighing, Danielle slipped out of her long white shorts and black and white long-sleeved tee and jumped into the water, holding her nose. Her dark green bikini was covered with white and black polka dots, and her hair came out of its ponytail as she surfaced. "Are you kidding me?! I thought ocean water was supposed to be cold, but this feels amazing!"

Riku grinned darkly and went under the water. Sora and Kairi both grinned, and Danielle raised a questioning eyebrow. "I'd take a deep breath if I were you, Dan. He does this to everyone…"

"Sora, what are you talking about?" Danielle took the breath that Sora recommended just before something grabbed her ankle and pulled her under water. She flailed around with her eyes shut, trying to ignore the sting of the salt water and pull herself free. "Hummhupmhhhophhh!!!"

When she was finally released she pushed up from the floor of the ocean and took a huge breath as she surfaced. Riku had already made his way up and was now laughing loudly, along with Sora and Kairi. "Ha! How did you like that, Danielle?"

Dan glared at him as she rubbed one eye. "I didn't."

"Come on, Riku, let's swim around the island. You two coming?" Kairi and Danielle both shook their heads, and the two boys took off, each one swimming at top speed.

"Let's go over to the waterfall and rinse all of this saltwater from our hair and get dried off. I hate falling asleep with salt-watery hair." Kairi swam lazily towards the shore, and Danielle followed her, moving slightly slower. "So, what do you think? Do you like it here?"

"Yes, but…"

"You miss home, right?" Kairi smiled sadly as she climbed onto the sand. "Don't I know how that feels. I may not remember my home, but I remember feeling like there was something else, something different than these islands, and I would cry myself to sleep a lot because I wanted to go back home. It never worked, though. I still don't know where I'm from…"

"You aren't from here originally? I thought you guys meant that you weren't always friends, not that you were literally from another planet…"

Kairi giggled as she stepped into the waterfall pool. "I've been friends with Sora and Riku since the day we met. I was just a little girl, no older than four or five, and Sora's mom invited me to his birthday party. I sat by myself until the two of them came up to me and declared that, although I was a girl, I was allowed to be their new friend."

Danielle giggled, as well. "How sweet of them!"

"No kidding."

_I remember the first time I met Becca and Eddie; we were playing in the same sandbox at the park and Eddie accidentally knocked down my sandcastle. They helped me rebuild it, and the new one was way better. We were friends forever after that, or at least, we were friends until forever was over._

* * *

"Becca?" Abigail walked into her daughter's room and smiled gently at the tear-stricken face before her. "Becca, there's someone here to see you."

"I don't want to talk to anybody." Becca's eyes were red and swollen, and her hair was frazzled.

"I tried to tell him that, but he really wouldn't leave. He wants some explanations, apparently." Abbie picked up a hairbrush and ran it through her daughter's hair, smoothing the frizzes and snarls.

"Who is he? If it's Yaxley, tell him that I don't want to talk to him." Becca took the hairbrush from her mother's hands and continued the job.

"Come downstairs and see for yourself." Abbie left the door open, and Becca sighed but stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes and following her mother down the stairs and onto the front porch.

"Mason? What are you doing here?" Becca stared at the popular boy who was sitting on her steps. _A few days ago he wanted nothing to do with me and the others, unless it involved bullying, and suddenly he wants to be friends or something?_

"I want to take a walk with you, Rebecca. We really don't know each other all that well, and I want to get to know you a little better. Besides, I think you owe me some explanations. Don't you agree?"

Becca sighed; she knew he would keep bugging her until she agreed, so she nodded and went back inside, retrieving her wand from the coffee table and her sandals from beneath it. When she came back outside, she found Ryan and her mother laughing. "Mother, do I have permission to show him?"

Abigail raised an eyebrow but nodded slowly. "As long as you don't do anything dangerous, yes. I guess I know what kind of explanation you owe him now."

Ryan waited for Becca to stand next to him before he nodded to Abbie. "It was nice talking to you, Mrs. Swallow."

To Becca's embarrassment, her mother winked and grinned. "Just call me Abbie, Ryan. Everyone else does."

"Can we go?" Becca took off down the street, but Ryan caught her arm and pulled her towards the forest. "Where are we going?"

"To that cave you like so much. I doubt you want too many people to know about this, and not too many people go out there." It was not until after this sentence that the two teens realized that Ryan was still holding Becca's arm, and they both blushed hotly as he released her.

"Oh." The two walked in silence for a few minutes, but when they reached the cave area Becca broke down in tears again.

"Rebecca, what's wrong?" Ryan led her to a large rock near the cave entrance and helped her sit down as she sobbed into her hands. "What happened, did you get hurt?"

"No, I mean, yes, but not in the way you're thinking. I used to come out here as much as possible with Dan and Eddie- I mean, Edward, and I miss them so much…"

"Well, Edward is still here, is he not?"

"Kind of, but he doesn't want anything to do with me. He informed me that he is sick of being friends with a stupid little witch."

Ryan was quiet for a few moments, and Becca was sure his next question was going to be about magic. She was wrong. "Is it possible that he just misses Danielle as much as you do?"

"But he said that he didn't want to remember her!"

"Exactly. He doesn't know what to do with himself now that she's not here, and the only thing he can think of is to erase any thoughts of her." Ryan rubbed Becca's back soothingly. "Rebecca, you don't know what those two do while you're at boarding school. They stick together as much as possible, or at least they did. They depended solely on one another for the social aspect of their lives, to the point where everyone thought they were a couple. I doubt Edward really wants nothing more to do with you."

"Then why would he say that?"

"I would bet that he just wants to distance himself from you so he can make more friends here, and he doesn't know how to do it without hurting you. Don't worry about it; in a couple days he'll be calling you up and begging for forgiveness." Ryan stopped rubbing her back only after she stopped sniffling.

"Thanks, Mason."

"It's no problem, Rebecca." He stood up and walked over to the edge of the small cliff, looking over the water pensively.

"Please, call me Becca." _Why is he acting so friendly? Why am I acting so friendly? I thought we hated each other…_

"Only if you call me Ryan." He still didn't turn around, but his voice seemed a little more strained. "Becca, what is a Muggle, and why did you call Edward one of them this morning?"

Becca sighed. "Are you absolutely sure you want to know, Ryan?"

He turned around to stare at her; her breath hitched in her chest. "Absolutely."

"If I tell you this, you have to promise me that you won't tell anybody, not your groupies, not your friends, not even your parents. No one else can know."

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't see why telling me a definition is such a big deal, but I swear I won't tell a soul. And I don't have groupies."

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Becca braced herself for his reaction to her next words. "A Muggle is a person who can't use magic and has no magical blood."

Ryan blinked once, then twice, before smiling. "Nice try, Becca. What is a Muggle?"

"I knew you wouldn't believe me." Becca pulled her wand from her jeans pocket and held it out for him to see. "Do you remember Yaxley complaining about Edward touching this?"

"Yeah, it's a stick. Big deal."

"It's not just a stick, Ryan. It's my wand. Wizards and witches use them to perform magic. Muggles can't do it."

"Really, now." Ryan looked like he was trying not to laugh. "Why don't you prove it?"

"Alright." Becca stood up from the rock she was perched on and turned around. "Wingardium Leviosa!" She used the perfect swish and flick method that she had learned during Professor Flitwick's Charms class at school, and the rock suddenly took flight. She heard Ryan gasp, and she chuckled as she put the rock back down. "That was one of the most simple spells. Here's another- Orchideous!" Becca swept up the single flower that she had created out of thin air and twirled it in between her fingers. "I'm not very good at that last one yet, it's supposed to create a full bouquet."

As she stowed her wand in her pocket again, she heard Ryan collapse behind her. "What- what the heck was that?! You just made that rock float and then that flower- where did it come from?!"

"I told you, Ryan, it's magic. I'm a witch, this is my wand, and I don't go to any ordinary boarding school." Becca shrugged as she sat cross-legged beside him. "I go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on The World of Magic."

After Ryan had begun to breathe normally again, he took the flower from Becca's hands and held it above his head, scrutinizing it. "Is this real?"

"As real as any of the flowers growing in your mother's garden." _Any minute now he's going to get up and run… I wonder if I'll chase him._

"This is so COOL!" Ryan began laughing gleefully and threw the flower in the air. "Becca, why don't you do magic all of the time, you could make millions!"

Becca laughed as well, although her laughter wasn't quite as happy as his. "Technically, I've already broken numerous laws by showing you my abilities. First of all, I'm not seventeen yet, so I'm not allowed to do magic outside of school. Secondly, we're not supposed to tell Muggles about magic. If they knew about us, they would always be asking us to solve their problems and such using magic, and that just isn't reasonable. That's why you aren't allowed to tell anybody about what you've seen here tonight."

Ryan sighed and nodded. "I understand. You know, I've been jealous of you for years, Becca Swallow, because I thought you were better than all of the rest of us and were allowed to go abroad for school. I didn't realize you went to a different planet, let alone a magical one. It kind of takes the sting off, knowing that you're just different."

"Thanks, Ryan." Becca also sighed and stood up, pulling her long shirt down to cover her wand. She nervously brushed a long strand of flaming red hair out of her eyes as she looked out to sea. "However, it isn't exactly glamorous, like you think it is. Not all witches and wizards are as nice as me."

"Do you have a lot of magical friends, then?" Ryan looked genuinely interested when she turned around to look at him, and she smiled.

"Not a lot. My other best friend, Lily Evans, is a Muggle-born girl who actually lives on The World of Magic. Their world is much bigger than ours, and the majority of the inhabitants are Muggles. It's just where most witches and wizards live." She blinked and looked up at the night sky. "Lily is very intelligent, really good at creating and making potions especially, and she's also very popular. For some reason I don't quite understand, she was always the nicest person to me, and although she could have been best friends with any of the girls our age and most of the guys, she picked me, the foreigner."

"Are there any other magical people on Maple Brook? Are your parents-?"

"Yes. My mother is a witch, a really powerful one. I want to be just like her when I finish school." Becca smiled slightly. "My dad's a Muggle, though. He thinks it's cool that we both have magic, but he wants me to drive a Gummi ship as good as he does. As for others, Yaxley and his family are all magical."

Ryan's expression hardened. "So he's another friend from school?"

"Hardly a friend, Ryan. There are four houses at Hogwarts- Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. My house, Gryffindor, and Yaxley's house, Slytherin, don't think too much of each other. In fact, Slytherin doesn't think very highly of any of the other houses. Yaxley is a year higher than I am, so I never really knew him that well, but I can assure you that he's an idiot, and he absolutely despises Muggles."

"Now, now, Becca, is that any way to talk about a friend?" Yaxley appeared from the shadows, grinning. "I thought you didn't like Muggles either. Did you change your mind already, or this another wizard you're talking too?"

"Buzz off, Yaxley!" Becca spun around instantly, pulling her wand from her pocket as she began to advance on him. "Don't make me do something I'll regret!"

Ryan grabbed her hand as she tried to attack and pulled her back. "No. I'll fight him, if I have to. You said that it was illegal to perform magic, and I don't want you to get arrested."

Yaxley growled in anger. "Mason?! I thought you two hated each other!"

"We did, but we came to a little understanding." Becca pulled Ryan's arm and made him stumble in her direction. "And now we're going to leave. Goodnight, Yaxley."

As soon as they were out of earshot, Ryan tugged his arm from her grasp and sighed impatiently. "Becca, he isn't seventeen yet, either, so he couldn't have used magic. I know I'm stronger than he is."

"Just because he isn't seventeen doesn't mean he wouldn't have used magic. I broke the law tonight, and I'm sure he would have, as well. Besides, the Ministry of Magic would have just figured that the magic was coming from our parents." Becca stopped when she caught sight of her house through the trees and turned to look up at Ryan. "Mason, please remember your promise, and be careful."

"Okay, Becca. You be careful, too." Ryan smiled at her before jogging away.

"I will."

* * *

Kairi and Danielle raised their eyebrows at Sora as his stomach growled yet again, and he blushed slightly. When he reached his hand towards a bag of potato chips Kairi swatted it away and sighed. "Honestly, Sora, can't you wait until the hot dogs are done?"

"But I'm hungry now."

"Sora, they'll be done in less than a minute!"

"But that's so long!" Sora moaned and rubbed his stomach as it growled once more. "Food… Hey, wait, where's Riku? He would usually be telling me off by this time, too."

Kairi looked around and shrugged. "I don't know, he was here a while ago."

"I saw him get up and go towards the waterfall a few minutes ago." Danielle nodded towards the crashing falls, and Sora smiled.

"You should go get him, then, and tell him the food is ready."

"That's a great idea! We'll be waiting, Danielle. Don't come back without him!"

"But-" Dan took one look at their expressions and nodded. As she left the campfire Danielle was sure she heard Kairi and Sora smack a high-five, and she rolled her eyes. _I am so tired of those two trying to fix Riku and I up as a couple. First it was gathering wood together, and then it was sending the two of us to get the food from the main island even though I don't know my way around here, not to mention the fact that Kairi keeps asking me how I feel about him. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent Riku away on purpose without telling me, just so this would happen. I don't even like him, and he absolutely despises me! Why don't they understand that?_ When she reached the waterfall she began calling his name. "Riku! Riku, where are you? The hot dogs are done!"

There was no response, so Dan got on her hands and knees to go through the entrance to the Secret Place. She heard a rock clatter inside. "Riku, are you in here?"

There was still no response, and as Danielle stood up she felt a shiver go up her spine; it was almost pitch black in the cave, and she could barely see her own hand in front of her. "Riku?"

"What?" Riku finally answered her, and she sighed, partially in relief and partially in frustration.

"I've been calling for you. The food is ready."

"Whatever, I'll be there in a minute." Danielle stood still, tapping her foot. "What is it now?"

"Sora and Kairi told me not to come back without you."

"So?"

"So, I'm waiting for you."

White light suddenly filled the cavern as the moon shined through a gap in the ceiling. Riku was staring up at it, frowning slightly. Danielle took a few steps forward, and Riku glared at her. "I don't remember asking you if you wanted to come watch with me, Danielle."

"I don't remember asking your permission, either, but I don't think I really need it. You're not a little kid anymore, so grow up and quit acting like one.

Riku suddenly growled ferociously, and Danielle took a step back as he advanced on her, his eyes hard and angry. "You don't know the first thing about me, Danielle, so stop trying to pretend that you're my friend!"

"I know everything about you, Riku! Kairi and Sora told me how you helped save them in Hollow Bastion and about The World That Never Was! You were beside Sora as he defeated Xemnas; in fact, you did a lot of the work! What else is there to know? I know that you're a hero, Riku, but right now you're acting more like a villain!"

"I am a villain, Danielle." Riku's eyes were flashing furiously. "Sora and Kairi apparently neglected to tell you how they got into so much trouble in Hollow Bastion, and what I had to do with saving them. I am evil!"

Danielle shook her head. "That isn't true… They would have told me…"

"They probably didn't want to scare you to death; would you have wanted to hang out with them if you found out the truth about their friend?" Riku took another step forward, and Danielle stepped backwards again. "I was stupid enough to help Maleficent gather the Princesses of Heart, because she told me it would wake Kairi up. Sora was trying to stop me, and he defeated me in battle after I had already beaten him down once. After that, I allowed Xehanort's Heartless to give me the powers of darkness, and I became Xehanort."

Danielle was shaking, not only because of his story but because of the look on his face. "B-but Kairi said you stopped Xehanort from killing her, Donald and Goofy, and Sora told me that you helped close Kingdom Hearts."

Riku glared and nodded. "I regained my soul for a time, but then I had to take the darkness back in order to save Sora and the others. I completely changed, and I allowed the darkness to completely engulf me several times. I became a monster." He took a couple more steps forward, and Dan tried to back up again, but she ran into the cave wall. "Even though I helped Sora defeat Xemnas, even though I regained my true form, that darkness is still inside me, waiting for the day when it can reappear and use me to hurt my friends."

Danielle pressed herself as close to the wall as she could as Riku continued to stalk closer to her. "It can't do that if you don't let it, Riku. You did so much good…"

"What, you aren't afraid of me? Look at you, trying to make yourself as small as possible so I can't get to you. You fear for your life." There was a flash of a different emotion in Riku's aqua eyes for a split second, something that looked like pain, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. "You're afraid that I'm going to lose control of the darkness and kill you."

"I'm not afraid of the darkness inside you, Riku," she insisted. Nevertheless, she gulped as he placed his hands above her, pinning her against the wall. "None of this explains why you hate me so much. What did I do to you?"

"Sora and Kairi aren't in any danger from me, Danielle. Sora can defend both of them to the bitter end, because he's stronger than I am. You, on the other hand… You would be so easy to destroy if I lost control of the darkness." Riku had gotten so close that Danielle could feel his breath on her face.

"You were trying to protect me from you? But- but why? You barely know me, and you didn't seem to be worried about Tidus, Wakka and Selphie this morning…"

"I don't think they're in any danger, either. I don't care enough about them." Before Dan could even think clearly Riku bent down and pressed his lips to hers, sliding his hands down to her shoulders as he kissed her.

Her eyes widened and she put her hands on his shoulders to push him away, but her hands ended up twining around his neck and pulling him closer as she kissed him back. As her eyes drifted shut she sighed slightly, and a tingle ran through her entire body as her mind exploded into sparks. After a few seconds he pulled away, staring down at her with glowing eyes. She blushed fervently as she averted her eyes, and suddenly her self-portrait caught her eye.

Somebody had added to the drawing: a pair of strong arms wrapped around her shoulders protectively, and a man's head with long hair and a blindfold looked down at her. The man was wearing a hooded coat, and his hands were gloved. The artist of the new addition had written something above the drawing. Dan ducked under Riku's arms to read it. "Protection? What does that mean…" As Riku wrapped his arms around her shoulders, she suddenly understood who the man was. "Riku…"

"I'll do anything to protect you, Danielle, even if it means staying away from you forever. You need to choose whether you want to escape now or risk destruction." Riku kissed her hair, and she grinned and turned in his arms to look at him. His face was serious, his eyes filled with fear that she would leave him.

"Riku, I think you can protect me from the darkness without staying away from me. You're stronger than you think, you have to be if you managed to push the darkness away. Besides, I don't want you to stay away from me." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again, and he lifted her from the ground as he returned it. _I cannot believe this is happening. I never would have imagined that Riku, of all people, could make me feel this way._

"Riku, Danielle, are you two in here? The food is getting cold, and I just left Sora to guard it, so if we don't get back soon there won't be any left…" Kairi walked around the corner and stopped dead as Riku set Dan back on the ground, both of them looking at her with flushed cheeks. "Hehehe… Sorry about the interruption… I'll leave you two alone…"

As she scuttled out of the room Riku looked back at Danielle and grinned at her un-maliciously for the first time. "We should probably join them…"

"Probably." Danielle pecked a kiss on his cheek and went to the exit, smiling back at him. "Come on."

As the new couple left the Secret Place, the beam of moonlight shrunk until it only illuminated one sketch, that of a young couple who would fight to the end for each other.

* * *

It had been one week since the altercation with Edward, and Becca was still waiting for Ryan's prediction to come true. He had yet to call, come over, or even speak to her when they passed on the streets. However, Becca was learning to survive without him; she had been talking to Ryan every day, and yesterday they had practically spent the entire day together. He had promised to come over at around nine o'clock, and Becca was waiting impatiently in the living room.

When she heard the knock on the door she jumped up and opened it. "Hello!"

"You seem happy to see me, Becca." Instead of looking up at Mason she was glaring into the sallow black eyes of Yaxley. "Aren't you going to wish me a happy birthday? You owe me something, at least. You've been ignoring me all week."

"Get out of here, Yaxley, I'm busy." _Wait, if it's his birthday, then…_

"You didn't seem to be too busy earlier. What, are you expecting company?" As if on cue, Ryan turned the corner of the street and began walking towards the house. Yaxley turned to glare at him, his lips twisted into a sneer. "Oh, I see. You want to hang out with the Muggle."

When Ryan got close enough to see who was on the front porch he began jogging to join the conversation. "Good morning, Becca. Yaxley."

"I wouldn't be short with me today, Mason. I'm on an entirely different level of power this morning."

"Really?" Ryan laughed in his face. "Why don't you prove it?"

"No, Ryan! Cyrith, don't you dare-!"

"If you insist. Crucio!"

"Protego!" Becca threw herself in front of the curse as she used the Shield Charm, causing the torture curse to bounce away harmlessly, as Yaxley had already jumped out of the way.

"Cyrith Yaxley!" Abigail stormed through the front door of the house, her graying red hair only half braided and her green eyes furious. "I've heard about you. What do you think you're doing, trying to cast the Cruciatus Curse on somebody?! And a Muggle at that!"

"I'm not going to listen to some old lady yell at me. What are you going to do, send a rolling pin flying in my direction? Silencio!" Yaxley waved his wand at Abbie, whose mouth gasped in silent fury. "That's much better."

"You little-" Yaxley used the same spell on Becca, who grabbed her throat and attempted to snarl at him. _I don't know any nonverbal spells yet!_

"And I'll freeze you for good measure. Petrificus Totalus!" Becca suddenly couldn't move, and Yaxley grinned at her. "Now, for the Muggle. Crucio!" Ryan tried to dodge the curse but wasn't quick enough, and Becca screamed silently as his own screams pierced the quiet summer morning. "How do you like that magic, Muggle?"

Abigail drew her wand from her pocket and waved it several times, and suddenly Yaxley was floating in the air, petrified, and he looked like he was sprouting boils. A mere second or two after he was affected Becca's scream finally came out, and she ran to her friend's side. Ryan seemed to be unconscious, and she waved her wand over him. "Ennervate."

"I'm going to put you down now, you little twat, and I hope you've learned your lesson." Abbie waved her wand again, and Yaxley fell to the porch, shouting in pain and fury as he scratched at the pus-filled boils that now covered his body. "Happy birthday!"

"I'm pressing charges against you, you stupid broad!"

"Don't talk like that about my mother!" Becca stood up and towered over him menacingly. "I warned you that she was Dumbledore's sister, and she's just as powerful as he is! Get out of here, Yaxley, and if you even try to press charges we will make sure you go to Azkaban for the rest of your petty existence!" She kicked him once, and he stood up and sprinted out of sight, still scratching his boils and muttering furiously.

"Becca?" Ryan sat up slowly, holding his head and shaking slightly. "What did he do to me?"

"Are you alright?" She was back at his side in a flash, as was Abigail. "Here, come inside and sit down, you need to rest."

As soon as Ryan was sitting on the couch Becca sighed sadly. Abbie smiled knowingly and muttered something about "getting my hair finished" and disappeared.

"You never told me what he did, Becca." Ryan stretched one of his arms and frowned at it; it was still shaking. "I feel like I'm made of jelly."

"It was the Cruciatus Curse. It is used as a method of torture, and it's one of the three Unforgivable Curses." When Ryan looked at her questioningly she wasted no time in explaining what she was talking about; she had been describing all of the different aspects of the wizarding world to him over the past week, but she had skirted around the nasty parts for as long as possible. "The Unforgivable Curses are banned curses that are irrational, inexcusable and evil to the very last syllable. The one that is probably used the most is the Cruciatus Curse, which you just experienced. The second one is the Imperius Curse. That one is used to make the victim do whatever the user tells them to do. They are completely under the control of the witch or wizard that uses the curse, and until they are somehow released from the spell they have to do anything and everything that they are told to do, no matter how bad."

"That one sounds nasty. If I were to use it on you, I could make you kill your own mother?"

"And my father, and the rest of the neighborhood, and then myself. Like I said, the victim has to do anything they are instructed to do." Becca gulped. "The last one is Avada Kedavra, the Killing Curse. No one has ever survived it. All it does is kill a person; it technically doesn't damage them otherwise. It's frightening…" Becca looked at Ryan with tears in her eyes. "Yaxley is still in school, yet he's already acting like a Death Eater. He didn't even flinch when casting that curse on you. I'm sorry I put you through this… If I hadn't become friends with you in the first place, Yaxley would have never tried to hurt you."

"I'd rather be friends with you and get hit by a few curses than not be friends anymore and live a perfectly curse-free life." Ryan looped his arms around her and hugged her gently. "Do you know what I would like more than being friends?"

"What?" _Oh my goodness, is this going to be what I think it is? I need Danielle or Lily here to confer with before I make a move…_

"I would like to be your boyfriend, Rebecca Swallow." Ryan smiled down at her and twirled a lock of her vibrant hair around his finger.

_I knew it… Oh, man, what do I do?_ Becca blushed and closed her eyes for a moment, and then she opened them and smiled. _I never knew that he had gray eyes… They're gorgeous!_ "Okay." She stretched her neck up and kissed his lips, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. She felt a shock run through her veins and down her spine, and she melted into his embrace.

"Ahem." Becca and Ryan flew apart when Christopher, Becca's father, coughed pointedly. "At least go somewhere apart from the rest of us if you're going to do that, Rebecca."

Becca blushed even harder, and both Christopher and Ryan laughed. Christopher was very kindly, like his wife, and had twinkling brown eyes and brownish-blonde hair. He tended to succumb to his wife and daughter's will, because he knew better than to provoke their horrible temper. Becca knew that the only physical feature she had inherited from him was his nose, but she liked to think that she had inherited some of his mathematical prowess. "Um, sorry about that, Dad."

Christopher just grunted and walked past the door; Becca would have sworn that he was still smiling. Ryan was also smiling, and he stretched his arms and placed one around her shoulder. "Becca, not to ruin the mood or anything, but I'm still curious about The World of Magic. What exactly is a Death Eater?"

Becca sighed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she began to explain. Though her tongue was speaking of the evil that surrounded Lord Voldemort, her mind was racing with excitement. _I can't believe my luck! I can hardly wait until Sunday, so I can finally talk to Lily again!_

* * *

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Riku, you may kiss your bride."

Danielle grinned all the wider in anticipation as Riku did as instructed; the same tingle that covered her during their first kiss just over two years ago ran through her body once more, and when he released her she sighed in contentment. "I love you, Riku."

"I love you too, Danielle." As the newlywed couple proceeded down the aisle, showered by rice and flower petals, Dan suddenly recalled a promise she had made a little over two years ago.

"_**Danielle, you HAVE to wait for me to get married, understand?"**__ Becca was trying to be stern, but her eyes were filled with laughter. __**"I don't want my best friend getting married without me beside her!"**_

"_**Of course I won't get married without you, you goofball!"**__ I punched her lightly on the arm. __**"Besides, I'll probably come home and fall in love here. I'm not going to do anything on that dumb planet Mom and Dad are forcing me to live on!"**__ Was I ever mistaken…_

"Dan? You alright?" Riku was looking at Dan in concern, and she realized that a tear had slipped from her eye, counteracting her big grin. "What's the matter?"

"I'm just missing my old friends, that's all." She leaned her head against his shoulder as they exited the big doors at the rear of the church, staring up at her new husband. _I must be the luckiest girl in the worlds._

Just as they stepped into the limousine which was to take them to the other side of the larger island for their honeymoon, Danielle felt her heart twist with panic. As Riku looked at her in alarm, she bowed her head and thought desperately. _What is this? I feel like someone's in danger… Oh, Becca, Edward, please be alright!_

* * *

Rebecca Mason ran across the lawn in front of the church in Godric's Hollow, her green eyes blazing furiously. _I knew something like this would happen! Why did I agree to marry him, what if he is killed?!_ "Stupefy!" She Stunned two of the Death Eaters who had crashed her wedding with one spell, and quickly dispatched a third. Unfortunately for her, it seemed like more than half of Voldemort's servants had come to this battle, and there were few guests at the small wedding to begin with, and even fewer members of the Order. She caught sight of Lily and James fighting back to back, taking down one Death Eater after another, and her mother and Uncle Albus battling across the small courtyard in the middle of the town.

"Ah, Rebecca. How charming it is to see you again!" Lucius Malfoy's hood must have been destroyed, but he was grinning down at her in satisfaction. "Congratulations on your big day! Now, if you don't mind, I'm on strict orders to take you to the Dark Lord, and I also happen to be on a tight schedule. I have a wedding of my own tomorrow, you see."

"Of course, I understand that. Narcissa must be quite excited." Rebecca and Lucius began circling one another, each smirking. "If I were you, I would go make sure that the spells Mother performed on her didn't harm her too horribly much. It would be a shame if she had a black eye on her wedding day!"

Lucius smirked. "Either way, you're coming with me! Crucio!"

Becca neatly jumped out of the way and fired a Stunning Spell at him; however, he dodged and fired another curse at her, and she was suddenly writhing in pain on the ground.

"No! Becca!" The red-haired bride saw someone tackle Lucius to the ground, and when her vision cleared she saw her groom scuffling with the blond Death Eater, who was attempting to get his wand pointed in the right direction.

"Ryan, get out of here! I told you to run!" Becca fired a Stunning Spell at Lucius once more, but it hit the ground above his head because her arms were still trembling. "Go!"

"No, Rebecca, I am _not_ leaving you!" Ryan punched Lucius on the jaw, and the wizard snarled angrily.

"You should have listened to your bride, Muggle! Avada-"

Becca sent a nonverbal petrifying charm at him, and he froze mid-curse. "Ryan, please, leave! I don't want to lose you, this is what I was afraid of!"

Ryan ran to his wife and pulled her up. "Becca…" When she didn't say anything more he smiled slightly and kissed her forehead. "Be careful, please."

"I will." Becca watched her husband dash back into the church, his tuxedo covered in dirt and grass stains. The moment he slammed the door a series of pops announced the arrival of the rest of the Order of the Phoenix, and Becca sighed in relief. "Now maybe we can defeat them."

"How dare you do that to my husband?!" Narcissa Malfoy Apparated directly in front of her, glaring at the bride. "How _dare _you?!"

"That's funny, I thought you weren't married yet!" Becca dodged a curse Narcissa sent towards her and smirked.

"He- I mean we aren't- we're getting married tomorrow, but-" Narcissa collapsed as Becca's silent spell hit her stomach, and the red head smiled grimly.

A cold wind suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and Becca's smile faded to a look of horror as Voldemort himself appeared in the midst of the battle and began firing off curses at random. Several of her fellow members went down, and Becca felt one whistle past her ear as she dove to the ground, ripping her already soiled dress. When he finally stopped, the entire yard was silent. "Isn't this a lovely party?"

"Tom!" Dumbledore swept through the mass of wizards and witches until he was standing in front of the Dark Lord, glaring. "Is this what you call a wedding present?"

"Oh, I had absolutely no idea that this was a wedding. I would have stayed well enough away from the battle if I hadn't caught wind of the fact that Lily and James Potter were involved. Once again, I have come to extend the hand of comradery to them and ask them to join my ranks." Voldemort smiled darkly, and James grinned back as Becca gulped.

"Of course we would join you, if you would stop killing people, that is. We're rather adverse to that, you see."

"That's right, Voldemort." The Dark Lord glared as Lily calmly raised her wand and pointed it at him. "Here's a little something to remind you of that." Lily used a nonverbal spell that caused a massive explosion; somehow, only the Death Eaters and Peter Pettigrew were thrown back, and Lily and James were gone by the time the dust cleared.

Voldemort curled his lip but raised his voice. "I leave you in peace, Rebecca Swallow Mason. Enjoy your honeymoon." Voldemort and his Death Eaters all disappeared, and Becca fell to her knees, shaking violently.

"Becca?" Abbie's arms wrapped around her daughter, who sobbed even harder as she hugged her mother back.

"This is horrible… Mother, when will this end?"

* * *

Khgirl08: So, I decided to throw a little extra in there at the end for my roomie's sake. She kept complaining that she wanted to see more, so I gave her more. ^.^ I hope you liked it! Please review!


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